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Smarter printing starts here. Focused intelligence and practical tools for large format and DTF professionals.

Printing TLDR is your premier source for the latest news and trends in the printing industry. Delivered weekly in concise updates, we make sure you're always in the know without taking much of your time. Whether you're deeply entrenched in the industry or just have a casual interest, Printing TLDR offers essential insights and information that cater to both newcomers and veterans alike.

23/12/2025

🎄 Early Christmas gift for DTF operators

After 6 months and 200+ AI generations, I finally cracked the DALL·E 3 workflow that actually works for production.

The breakthrough? Stop mixing artwork and mockups in one prompt.

Most shops ask DALL·E to create "a t-shirt design" and get beautiful mockups with artwork that's impossible to vectorize.

The fix is simple:

Stage 1: Generate artwork ONLY (1:1 square, no garments)
Stage 2: Create mockups SEPARATELY (16:9 landscape, artwork already exists)

This separation gives you clean, vectorizable artwork plus professional mockups for client presentation.

I just published a complete guide with:
✅ The two-stage workflow framework
✅ Real-world coffee shop example (copy-paste prompts)
✅ Color management for dark vs light garments
✅ Common mistakes and fixes
✅ What this saves you (time + money)
✅ Tool recommendations

Perfect timing to read during the holiday slowdown.

Read the full guide (free):
https://printingtldr.com/p/dalle-3-dtf-printing-guide

💬 What's your biggest challenge with AI-generated artwork? Drop a comment.

23/12/2025

🎄 Merry Christmas! 🖨️

This image was created using a Christmas image prompt I’m sharing with print professionals.
With the prompt, you can recreate the same image you see in this post.

How to get it:
👉 Like & comment “Christmas”
👉 Connect with me so I can DM you the link

A small, practical holiday gift 🎁

22/12/2025

That’s it for 2025.

Thanks for following Printing TLDR this year — fewer buzzwords, more real production insights. We’ll be back in January 2026.

Wishing everyone a good holiday break and a strong start to the new year.
👉 https://printingtldr.com/large-format-printing-news-week-51-2025

15/12/2025

This week’s Wide Format Brief focused on reliability — not hype.
Ink automation, direct-to-wood UV printing, in-house embellishment, and wrap media lessons worth noting.

14/12/2025

You're troubleshooting a print problem at 2pm. Your team has theories. Google gives you forum posts from 2017. You're making educated guesses, but wondering if there's a variable you're missing. 🤖

That's the real friction in print shops—not lack of knowledge, but lack of time to organize what you already know systematically. AI won't replace your substrate expertise or fix broken workflows. But used correctly, it can expose the gaps you've normalized and reduce the repetitive work you've accepted.

This week's AI Print Playbook breaks down 10 prompts designed for real operational problems: first-principles troubleshooting, pre-flight file checks, quote template building, complaint-to-process analysis, and workflow optimization. Each one follows the same pattern—you provide context, AI organizes variables, you make the decision.
No hype. No magic thinking. Just structured frameworks for problems you're already solving manually.

Latest AI Print Playbook is live: https://printingtldr.com/p/ai-prompts-print-shops-december-2025

💬 Which operational friction point costs you the most time each week? Drop a comment.

08/12/2025

Wide-format is shifting fast — hybrid inks, smarter DTF workflows, new prepress tools.

Catch the Week 49 Brief 👉 https://printingtldr.com

01/12/2025

Smarter print decisions start here.
This week’s TLDR Brief: UV-LED shifts, new UV flatbeds, and what Agfa’s Q3 means for 2026.

👉 https://printingtldr.com

24/11/2025

𝗛𝘆𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗱 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝘀, 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 — 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝟰𝟳 𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗲𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴.

Durst’s new P5 SMP proved that mixed-media productivity now matters more than chasing maximum pass speeds. And with Drytac releasing PVC-free SynTac plus Innovia earning “Champion” status from FESPA UK, sustainable choices are finally getting operational credibility.

PRINTING United also dropped new AI-focused iLEARNING+ courses aimed at building the next generation of print-ready talent — something every shop will need.

Get the full Week 47 Wide Format Brief

17/11/2025

🧠 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻’𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗳𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗺𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀 — 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗳𝗹𝗼𝘄𝘀.

In Week 46 of the Wide Format Brief, we saw a clear pattern: software, automation, and substrate innovation are driving real production gains.

Here’s what stood out:
• Hybrid introduced a GPU-native RIP that attacks prepress bottlenecks
• Fiery moved to acquire Inèdit, reshaping textile + décor workflow control
• Mimaki repositioned the Tiger600 as a high-speed poster engine
• Ergosoft released a workflow-first RIP update with deeper automation
• Drytac’s Paper Fleece Air impressed installers at the Vancouver Design Show

The takeaway is simple:
𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗳𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗮 𝗯𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗲𝗱𝗴𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿.

If you want the printing industry decoded in 5 minutes every week, subscribe to the Wide Format Brief.

10/11/2025

🚀 𝗕𝗶𝗴 𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗳𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝗱𝗲-𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸 — 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗘𝗽𝘀𝗼𝗻’𝘀 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴-𝗮𝘄𝗮𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗦𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝟳𝟭𝟳𝟬 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗔𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲’𝘀 𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗧𝗧𝗦 𝗮𝗰𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.

Add in HYBRID Software’s new Helix OEM platform and FESPA’s 2026 expansion into corrugated & textile events, and you’ve got a roadmap of where print tech is really heading.

👉 Dive into this week’s Wide Format Brief from Printing TLDR and stay ahead of what matters — not the hype.

07/11/2025

“𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝘄𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝘅𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝗗𝗧𝗙 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝘀 — 𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗽𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸.”

If you’re using AI for DTF design, this 26-page cheat sheet will save you from the most common mistakes: blurry text, weak colors, wrong formats, and overly detailed images.

Get your free copy, link in comment

03/11/2025

🧠 Efficiency is the new growth strategy.
From Agfa’s expansion to Roland’s software & media updates, this week’s Wide Format Brief shows where print’s real ROI lives.

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